Certain types of neurological disorders (particularly in young children) are diagnosed as Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Autism, for which the cause is undetermined (or linked to sedative induced hypoxia, drowning or drug impairment) and for which no successful treatment is available leading to recovery. Symptoms may include speech impairment, central auditory processing disorder, central vision loss, perceptual motor impairment and other neurological and behavioral disorders including schizophrenia. Often EEG's or MRI scans do not show major macroscopic damage, indicating that the disorder is microscopic and pervasive in nature--in which some percentage of brain cells in associated functional areas of the brain are inactive, and/or neurotransmission is impaired.
New instruments have been developed to study brain waves (See U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,751) by which it has been demonstrated by magnetoencephalograph that both electric and magnetic fields are generated by portions of the brain engaged in neurological activity. Magnetic fields arise both from individual axon and synapse transmission as well as from mass neuroelectric and neuro magnetic phenomena associated with processing stimuli and reacting thereto. Research in applying the instant method has shown that neurological phenomena produce an average constant or static magnetic field component of which the south pole is directed out of the head and the north pole inward.
The theoretical basis for the operation of the brain involves many phenomena besides individual and mass neuron interactions, including intra- and intercellular photon interaction and brain wave (electric, magnetic and electromagnetic) interactions, which is why brain and nervous system operation remains a subject of major research. Therefore, it is sufficient for the purposes of this invention to say that experiments indicate that when the naturally occurring magnetic field is reinforced with an external magnetic field, inactive nerve cells can be reactivated by electrical stimuli, such that inactive nerve cells or synapses become activated and lost or impaired neurological functions are restored or heightened. Sensory stimuli are beneficial but not necessary to the method.
Nerve impulse transmission parameters have been known for many years. Electrotherapy texts (such as Arthur L. Watkins' A Manual of Electrotherapy, Philadelphia, Lea and Febiger, 1958) provide the following nerve transmission parameters: 1) pulsed D.C.; 2) pulse duration--0.5 to 5 mSec.; 3) pulse frequency--20 to 80 Hz; and 4) maximum electrode current density--0.5 to 1.0 mA/ sq.in. Numerous prior art commercial apparati have been designed to provide variations on the electrotherapy theme, most of which are designed to stimulate muscles and require current densities which are too strong for the present application. Electro acupuncture techniques (such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,064) presume to stimulate or block nerve centers associated with specific acupuncture centers and their respective parts of the body, but no mechanism is provided for stimulating repair of pervasive brain damage.
Additional prior art techniques for stimulating the brain with electrical pulses (U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,744) or pulsed electric fields (U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,178) have been attempted; but in all cases the stimulation only involves electric stimulation. No magnetic field stimulation is proposed.
Magnetic fields have also been used without electric fields to stimulate biological tissues, both constant or static (U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,951) and dynamic (U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,238), but in all cases the stimulation has not involved application of a static magnetic field to the head or brain of a subject for the purpose of neurological healing and stimulation. In all cases, the electrical and sensory stimulation would be lacking.
Electromagnetic fields have been proposed, (U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,873) but an electromagnetic field is different in its effect than electric pulses. Care must be taken to differentiate between the "magnetic" field produced by 1) an "electromagnet" operated in a DC current mode (i.e., electromagnet magnetic field), 2) the electromagnetic field produced by an AC excited electromagnet in which an electromagnetic wave or radio wave is produced, and 3) the noninterruptible magnetic field characteristic of a permanent magnet. The third type is required by the herein specified method.
An electromedical device (U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,850) has been proposed which uses both alternating magnetic and alternating electric fields to excite circular motion of ionic species in the blood and cells, creating the effect of increased circulation in body tissues. The alternating or time-varying magnetic field is not the type found effective in the herein described apparatus and method.
No prior art electrical, magnetic or electromagnetic technique employs 1) a constant magnetic field to reinforce naturally produced neuro-magnetic fields and 2) electrical stimulation through neural pathways at neural frequencies to activate inactive synapses and assist the brain and nervous system in restoring neurological functions.
The electric and magnetic stimuli alone are sufficient to increase neurological functions, although simultaneous sensory stimulion is beneficial.